Hanson makes Games team

After repeated disappointments, 26-year-old Brooke Hanson finally qualified for the Olympic Games when she upset world record-holder Leisel Jones to win the 100 metres breaststroke final last night.

At the 1996 Olympic selection trials, Hanson missed a place on the team to Atlanta by only 0.11 seconds in the 200 breaststroke. Four years later she was back at the trials in Sydney and this time she missed selection for the Games by 0.81 seconds.

But she refused to quit. She wiped away the obvious disappointment and set her sights on Athens. Last night, at last, her moment arrived.

Clocking a personal best of one minute 7.17 seconds, Hanson made her intentions clear from the start, storming clear and refusing to allow anyone to swim past her.

Jones came home hard but only in time for silver in 1:08.07.

"It's my 11th (100 breaststroke) final and I've finally won. It's just awesome," Hanson said. "I knew if I concentrated I would get there. I feel really great for Athens and now that I'm on the team, I can start to think about a medal now."

Jones admitted she was not too disappointed about finishing second as she had still made the team, and she added that she and Hanson would continue to spur each other on.

The other two finals, backstroke events, resulted in three swimmers booking a place at their second Olympics, with another set to make her Games debut in Athens.

Matt Welsh and Josh Watson finished one-two again last night, as they did at the 2000 selection trials, to gain a berth for Athens. Welsh won in 54.62, with Watson clocking 55.18. The unlucky swimmer was 16-year-old Andrew Lauterstein, who finished third, 0.26 behind Watson.

"There's always one upset (Thorpe in the 400) and I thought that's already happened, so I thought I'm good to go," Welsh said. "In a way it was good the time was not that good because it will fire me up."

Giaan Rooney won the women's 100 backstroke, which means she will have an individual swim in Greece as well as playing a pivotal role on the medley relay team. The other Olympic berth - her first - went to 18-year-old Marieke Guehrer.